The invention relates to an indicator for tape running direction and tape remnant amount by using a character display unit for displaying the tape running amount used in a tape recorder.
Generally, in a cassette type tape recorder, a cassette half is fully housed in the tape recoder. For this, it is very difficult to catch the running direction of the tape being used and the tape remnant amount when the tape recoder is not provided with an indicator for tape running direction and tape remnant amount.
For an indicator for tape running direction, there has been proposed an indicator in which the head of a tape take-up axis is marked or another indicator which is mechanically operable interlocking with the take-up axis. On of the conventional indicators for tape remnant amount is of a type in which an electrical amount corresponding to the rotational speed of a tape supply or a take-up reel is analogously displayed by means of an ammeter. The tape remnant amount may be indicated by using a tape counter. However, in this case, if the relation between the tape remnant amount and the numerical value indicated by the counter is not previously checked for the tape used, it is impossible to know the tape remnant amount from the indication by the tape counter. If such a relation is previously checked, it is difficult to directly know the tape remnant amount from the counter indication unless an operator is accustomed to the handling of the tape recorder.
In recent years, because of a remarkable improvement of digital electronic devices, we can easily and cheaply procure digital electronic parts such as digital display devices and counter ICs. This enables the digital display devices to be applied for counters to indicate the tape running amount of the tape recorder or indicators for indicating a voltage level of a battery. However, there has been no electronic display device in which the running amount, the tape running direction and the tape remnant amount may be displayed by a single device.